Piedmont

Day Trips

The Serravalle Outlets, Europe's largest designer brands shopping mall, is located just an hour away from Milan. You can shop ‘til you drop on this shopping trip, while enjoying discounts of 30-70 percent! You’ll find dozens of stores offering a wide array of the world's most renowned designer brands. The prices are well below what you would find in retail stores. In fact, there are more than 170 stores to choose from, featuring the top names in Italian designer fashions, including Gucci, Versace, Zegna, Dolce & Gabbana, Armani, and Prada. You’ll find top sports labels as well, such as Nike, Adidas, and The North Face. The outlet stores are housed in buildings that reflect Ligurian-Piedmont style and are all linked by tree-lined pedestrian walkways. You’ll find spots to sit, relax, and perhaps sip a latte before heading on to the next outlet shop to find the next great bargain!

Get stunning views of Lake Maggiore and stop at the small Borromean islands and islets on a hop-on hop-off boat service between Stresa and Isola Superiore Pescatori. A private boat service is also available. Relax and travel at your own pace with a flexible schedule. Leave the boat at any of the islands and hop back on the next boat when you want to continue.  Visit the quaint fishing village on Isola Superiore Pescatori. Enjoy its charming local craft market and stop for lunch or drinks at one of the restaurants or bars overlooking Lake Maggiore. Here you can taste local dishes which include fish from the lake such as including perch, whitefish, whitefish, and many more. After,  Go for a stroll around to discover the charm of this tiny island.  Cross back to Stresa, where you can journey up into the hills to visit the botanical gardens of the Villa Pallavicino.

Depart Milan on a high-speed train for the town of Domodossola, the last Italian frontier before the Swiss border. Here, you will begin your adventure on the “Green Train of the Alps.” The train will take you on a journey through the Simplon pass, one of the most beautiful crossings in Switzerland. Cutting between the Alps, your knowledgeable English-speaking guide will introduce you to the secrets of mountains and the valleys as they appear before your eyes. After around 2-hours of breathtaking panoramas, you will arrive in Spiez, on the shores of Lake Thun. Here, you will stop for lunch (not included), before departing on your cruise to Interlaken on a state of the art steamboat. Whilst crossing the lake, take a moment to snap some pictures of Eiger, Mönch and Jungfrau, 3 famous mountains whose recognizable shapes are reflected in the light blue water of the lake. Once in the Interlaken, enjoy time to explore the picturesque architecture or take a walk around the shore, where you will be able to marvel at the hang gliders peacefully soaring over the snow capped Alps in the distance. Aside from the beautiful views, don’t forget to try some of the world’s finest Swiss chocolate at the one of the many local specialty chocolatiers that dot the town. In the late afternoon, take a train back to Domodossola before returning to Milan on an air-conditioned coach.

Join a wine tasting and drive along the most panoramic wine routes of Piedmont. Wind through the vineyards where the Nebbiolo grapes are cultivated to produce the famous Barolo wine. Admire the picture-perfect Langhe hills, a UNESCO World Heritage site, dotted with medieval towers, castles, and quaint villages. Continue to a boutique winery, step inside the aging cellar, and enjoy a premium wine tasting of 4 to 5 wines, sampling different types of Barolo. At the end of your tour, transfer to either the town of Barolo or to another village in the area for some free time to explore numerous wine shops enjoying the slow-paced Italian lifestyle.

Experience the magic of flying high above the cypress-studded hills and vineyards of Piedmont on a 1-hour hot air balloon flight from Turin. The adventure begins as soon as you arrive at the take-off field in Carru. As this is dependent on weather conditions, the precise location will be provided to you the day before your flight. Watch as the balloons are inflated and prepared before your eyes. Once the pilots have done their final checks and given you a safety briefing, climb into the basket suspended beneath the balloon, and begin your float up to altitudes of 2,000 feet (6,000 meters). Glide over valleys and castles, enjoying panoramic views of the rolling scenery below. Each flight offers a different experience, as the balloons are directed by the breeze. Upon landing, enjoy a glass of sparkling champagne before the transfer shuttle back to your take-off site.

Admire the charming landscapes of Langhe in Piedmont. Delve into its long history of vine-growing. Taste Barolo and Barbaresco, two of the great red wines of northwestern Italy. Explore the area where the “king of wines” is made. Be led by your local guide to 2 wineries. On the way, pass through colorful hills and valleys that change with the seasons. Once at the winery, the producer will show you the vineyards. Learn about the production of Barolo wine. Conclude your trip to this winery with a wine tasting session. Stop for a light lunch made with local produce from the region. Follow your guide to a second winery. Understand the difference between the two productions. After another wine tasting session, you can decide which wine you like the most. Treat yourself to chocolate and white truffle with a stop in Alba. It is one of the main cities in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont. Take a stroll through the city center before going back to Milan in time for dinner.

Enjoy a full-day tour with a private car and driver from your Hotel in Turin. Your professional guide and driver will escort you to the most famous towns of the Monferrato and Langhe area. Start your day with a visit to Alba, famous for its white truffle and delicatessen. Enjoy the city centre before continuing on to Neive; once called one of the most beautiful Hamlets in the world. After your tour of Alba you will continue to the Barolo Region. Whilst in Barolo you will get the opportunity to try some of the region's most famous wines, such as Barolo, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Roero and Barbera. Sample the Barolo wines from this region and get the chance to try a DOCG accredited wine. After your wine tasting session enjoy a light lunch in a typical Trattoria with a full view of breathtaking landscapes of the Langhe Hills and see why they are a UNESCO heritage listed site. Once you have finished your delicious lunch you will be driven back to Turin by your guide and driver. 

Italy's Piedmont region is a gastronomic hotspot, and on this private tour, you'll have the opportunity not just to taste but to hunt for one of its most famous culinary products: the truffle.  Go behind-the-scenes and join a truffle hunter and his dog on a walk through the woods in search of these hidden treasures. Depending on the season, this 1-1.5-hour hunt will lead you in search of the White Truffle of Alba (in season from late September to January) or the black Scorzone truffle (in season during the Summer months). Truffle hunting involves walking on paths that can be slippery, muddy, and occasionally steep, so appropriate footwear is strongly recommended.  After the truffle hunt, learn the secrets of Barolo winemaking in a visit to a family-run winery. Sample 4-5 types of Barolo and discover what makes this local wine special.

Explore wine cellars and vineyards in Langhe and Roero, as you taste Piedmontese wines. Specially selected wine producers will help you to better understand the flavors and specialties of the Piedmontese wine-making tradition. Choose between a half day or a full day tour. On the half-day tour, you will visit two wine cellars in La Morra or Barolo (2 wine cellars) On the full day tour, you will have a guided tour of Alba, the town of the white truffle, as well as tastings of Piedmontese specialties at a local shop. Have lunch at typical restaurant and visit the two wine cellars.

Until recently, it was believed that up to the mid-19th century, Barolo was a sweet wine. More recent research, led by a French oenologist however shows that it is actually a dry wine, a version positively accepted by other experts. On this tour, you'll have the chance to discover a unique area surrounded by green hills with a view of the mountains not far off in the distance. You'll depart from Milan with a private car transfer and, after approximately 2 hours (often less than that), until you arrive at the winery and start your tour by discovering the vineyards, their history and tradition, as well as the particular cultivation techniques for the Barolo grapes. You'll walk in the vineyards where the history of the Barolo wine began. From the vineyards, you'll then be guided inside the winery to explore the wine cellar and learn about the particular production techniques characteristic of this unique wine. A guided wine tasting will follow, during which time you will taste different varieties of wines accompanied by typical local products.